Phonograph-needle cutter.



B. B. BLOOD.

PHONOGRAPH NEEDLE CUTTER.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 14.1914.

Patented Jan. 9, 1917.

W" was nnrrnn snares rnrnnr armon BUB/R B. BLOOD, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS,ASSIGNOB TO CARLYLE MAGHARG, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PHONOGBAPH-NEEDLE CUTTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. Q, 1917.

Application filed February 14, 1914. Serial No. 818,622.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, BURR B. BLOOD, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, and resident of Chicago, Cook county, Illinois, have invented acertain new and useful Improvement in Phonograph-Needle Cutters of whichthe following is a specification.

My invention relates to cutters for sharpening fiber phonograph needles.Ordinarily, and if not re-sharpened, these needles, which are made ofbamboo, are thrown away after being used once. Some attempt has beenmade to provide cutters for sharpening these needles. It is to cuttersfor this particular purpose that my invention relates.

The object of my invention, generally stated, is to provide a cutter ofsimple and durable construction, which will sharpen the needles moresatisfactorily than heretofore, and which can be manufactured cheaply.

A special object is to provide an improved construction and arrangementwhereby the knife can be easily removed and replaced, whereby the devicecan be operated easily and with certainty, and whereby the cutting ofthe bamboo or fiber will produce a sharp point of the requisitecharacter.

It is also an object to provide certain details and features ofconstruction tending to increase the general efficiency andserviceability of a phonograph needle cutter of this particularcharacter.

To these and other useful ends my invention consists inmattershereinafter set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings-Figure 1 is a side elevation of aphonograph needle cutter or sharpener embodying the principles of myinvention. Fig. 2 is a sectional view of the cutting mechanism of saiddevice, on a larger scale, showing the adjacent portions of the handle.Fig. 3 is a section on line 33 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a front elevation ofthe mechanism shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section online 5 5 in Fig. 3. 1

As thus illustrated, my invention comprises a pair of handles A and Bpivotally connected together at C, said handles being formed from sheetmetal. The rectangular body D is pivotally connected at one end thereofwith the ears (0 of the handle A, and is provided with a recess d in theface thereof. The sliding block E is mounted to reci )rocate in therecess d, upon the surface (Z of the body, and is pivotally connected atc with the ears Z) of the handle B, it being understood that said earsembrace the body. A knife F is mounted upon the face of the block E,with its edge f overhanging the recess 6 in said block. lhe rear endportion f of the knife is formed at right angles to the body of theknife and engages a slot 6 in the said block, being readily removabletherefrom. With this arrangement the said knife is held in place by aface plate which is secured to the body D by screws 9, said plateproviding a smooth surface upon which the knife slides back and forth.It will be seen that said plate has an opening 9 and that a gage plate His secured upon the outer surface of the plate G, being provided withflanges /1. at each side thereof. These flanges engage the edges of theplate G, and the plate H is held in place by the lower screw 9, wherebythe structure is firmly held together. The plate H has an angular andoutwardly extending portion 7L provided on its inner side with adovetailed groove 72 for the insertion of the needle.

The method of use is as followsr The needle is inserted endwise in thegroove 7& until it engages the stop or abutment e which latter isintegral with the sliding lock E and which limits the insertion of heneedle to bring the end thereof into proper position relative to theknife. Then the handles are brought together,causing the knife edge f tocooperate with the stationary knife edge I in cutting off a small endportion of the needle. The hard or glossy side of the bamboo needle ispreferably placed against the bottom of the groove if, and this bringsthe needle into such posiion that the edge f enters the soft side of theneedle and cuts through to the hard layer at the otherside. This puts agood point on the needle, and leaves it perfectly sharp, instead ofmaking it rough or ragged.

By reason of the two pivotal connections 6 and J, the knife'reciprocates along a straight line, and the result is that the cuttingis of the required characterthat is to say', the end ofthe needle is cutoff clean and sharp. one of the screws 9, so that the plate'G can beswung to one side, the knife F can be removed and sharpened, or replacedby a new one when worn out. The corner portions K of the ears 5 extendover the rear end'portions f of the knife, whereby the latter is heldagainst lateral displacement. In this way the knife does not need to befastened in the block E, but is simply inserted in the slot 6 theportions K and the plate G cooperating to hold the knife'againstdisplacement, The said knife can be made of springy steel, so that whenthe plate G is secured in place the knife will be placed under sometension, thus insuring a tight contact between its edge and the smoothend surface of the plate G, in order to insure the proper cooperationbetween the two cutting edges. Gag-e h it will be seen, not only leanstoward the plate G, butalso to one side, (see Fig. l), whereby theneedle is given the well known and proper bevel at the end thereof, whenthe hard or glossy side of the needle is placed in the groove h formedon the face of said gage.

It will be understood, of course, that the two handles A and B can beheld yieldingly apart by a spring L or any other suitable means. Thenthe handles are'released, this spring moves or restores the parts to therelative positions shown in the drawings.

My invention contemplates broadly a phonograph needle cutter which canbe held in one hand and operated while the needle is presented to thecutter by the other hand, and it also contemplates certain features ofimprovement in needle cutters broadly, as herein shown and described,and I do not limit myself to the exact construction shown and described.

What I claim as my invention is 1. A phonograph needle cutter comprisinga body, a cutting edge, a block reciprocating onsaid body, a knife onsaid block,

adapted to cooperate with said edge, means for holding the needle inposition between said knife and edge, and means for causing said blockto reciprocate relative to said body, said knife being'removably held onsaid block, and said means for reciprocating the block comprlslng aP34113013 pivoted handles, one handle having end portions It will alsobe-seen that by moving for holding the needle in position between saidknife and edge, meansfor causing said block to reciprocate relative tosaid body,

said body being recessed to form a working space for said block, and aremovable plate disposed over said space, secured at its ends to theends of said body, holding said knife and block in operative position,provided with an opening'for the end of the needle.

3. A phonograph needle cutter comprising a body, a cutting edge, ablockreciprocating on said body,"a knife on said block,

adapted to cooperate with said edge, means for holding the needleinposition between said knife and edge, meansfor causing said block toreciprocate relative to said body, said meansfor reciprocating the blockhaving ears which overlap the edges of said knife, thereby holding thelatter against displacement, and means for pivoting said ears on thesides of said block.

4. A phonograph needle cutter compriscating onsaid body, a knife on saidblock,

adapted to cooperate with said edge, means said'axes being disposedrespectively at the mg a body, a cutting edge, a block reciprothreecorners of a variable triangle, said knife having motion about two ofsaid axes, and said body having motion about the third axis. v

A phonograph needle cutter comprising a body, a cutting edge, a blockreciprocating on said body, a knife on on side of said block, adaptedtocooperate with said edge, the opposite side of said block havingsliding engagement with said body, means for holding the needle inposition between said knife andedge, and means for causing said block toreciprocate relative to saidbody, said block'having a portion that.forms an abutment for the end of the needle, spaced a distance from thecutting edge of the knife, a recess for the cuttings between said knifeand portion, said body'having a smooth surface which forms a backing forsaid block to maintain said knife against said edge, a handle pivoted onsaid block to operate the cutter, said handle having means to preventlateral displacement of said block, and means engaging the and forthmotion thereof. r r

1251 opposite ends of said blockto limit the back ing a body, a cuttingedge, a block reciprocating on said body, a knife resting flatwiseagainst the face of said block, on said block, adapted to cooperate withsaid edge, means for holding the needle in position between said knifeand edge, and means for causing said block to reciprocate relative tosaid body, the said knife having a portion which is removably' insertedin said block, and a removable plate for holding said block in position,secured to said body, serving to hold the knife against outwarddisplacement from said block.

7 A phonograph needle cutter comprising a body, a cutting edge, a blockreciprocating on said body, a knife removably held in position on saidblock, adapted to cooperate with said edge, means for holding the needlein position between said knife and edge, and means for causing saidblock to reciprocate relative to said body, the means for reciprocatingthe block having oppositely arranged pivoted portions which extend intoposition to hold the knife against lateral displacement.

8. A phonograph needle cutter comprising a body, a cutting edge, a blockreciprocating on said body, a knife on said block, adapted to cooperatewith said edge, means for holding the needle in position between saidknife and edge, and means for causing said block to reciprocate relativeto said body, the means for reciprocating the block comprising a pair ofhandles which are pivotally connected together between their ends, onehandle being pivoted on said block, and the other handle being pivotedon said body, providing three parallel aXes of operation disposed at thecorners of a triangle.

9. A phonograph needle cutter comprising a body, a cutting edge, a blockreciprocating on said body, a resilient knife on said block, adapted tocooperate with said edge, means for holding the needle in positionbetween said knife and edge, means for causing said block to reciprocaterelative to said body, a plate for holding said knife under tension,having said edge formed by an opening therein, and means for removablysecuring said plate to the body, said plate holding said block inposition on the body, and the tension of the knife causing constantpressure thereof against said plate and edge.

10. A phonograph needle cutter comprising cutting mechanism for trimmingthe worn out end of the needle obliquely thereto, a pair of handles foroperation by one hand, said handles pivoted on each other, the ends ofsaid handles being pivoted on said mechanism, said mechanism having acutting plate disposed in a plane parallel with the axes of saidhandles.

11. A phonograph needle cutter comprising cutting mechanism for trimmingthe worn out end of the needle obliquely thereto, a pair of handles foroperation by one hand, said handles pivoted on each other, the ends ofsaid handles being pivoted on said mechanism, a spring for moving saidhandles apart, said mechanism having cutting edges cooperating in aplane parallel with the axes of said handles, and stops for limiting theoperation of said handles by said spring and hand.

12. A phonograph needle cutter comprising cutting mechanism for trimmingthe worn out end of the needle obliquely thereto, and a pair of handlesfor operation by one hand, said handles pivoted on each other, and theends of said handles being pivoted on said mechanism, said mechanismincluding a body having the pivot of one handle, a block carrying thepivot of the other handle, sliding on said body, a knife on said block,and a plate on said body, serving to hold said block in place, providedwith an edge cooperating with said knife.

13. A phonograph needle cutter comprising cutting mechanism for trimmingthe Worn out end of the needle obliquely thereto, and a pair of handlesfor operation by one hand, said handles pivoted on each other, and theends of said handles being pivoted on said mechanism, said handleshaving ears which embrace said mechanism, and said mechanism including aremovable knife held in position by the ears of one handle.

14-. A needle cutter comprising a body having a guide-way, a blockarranged to re ciprocate in said guide-way, a knife on said block, aplate providing a smooth surface for said knife to slide upon, saidknife being disposed fiatwise between said plate and said block, saidplate having an opening providing an edge to cooperate with said knife,the cutting edge of said knife being beveled only on the side thereofaway from said plate, means to hold the needle in said opening, means onsaid block to engage the end of said needle, said block and knifeoccupying the space between said guide-way and plate, and mechanism forrelatively reciprocating said block and body, said mechanism including apair of crossed handles, a pivotal connection between said handles, aspring for forcing said handles apart, a pivotal connection between onehandle. and said body, and a pivotal connection between the other handleand said body.

15. A needle cutter comprising a body having a guide-way, a blockarranged to reciprocate in said guide-way, a knife on said block, aplate providing a smooth surface for said knife to slide upon, saidknife being disposed fiatwise between said plate and said block, saidplate having an opening providing an edge to cooperate with said :knife,the cutting edge of saidknife being beveled only on the side thereofaway from said plate, means to hold the needle in said opening, means onsaid block to engage therend of said needle, said block and knifeoccupying the space between said guide-Way and plate, and mechanism forrelatively reciprocating said block and body, said mechanism including apair of Witnesses RAGHEUJ, RICHARDSON, ROSE SEHNEM.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressin'g'the com missioner 'of Patents,

- Washington, D. G. V r

